Then and Now
by Belldandy'sKeiichi
Summary: A year past when Misty left Ash and Brock due to a family emergency, but when she came back, she didn't expect to see another girl next to Ash. Chapter 3 up! R+R!
1. Chapter 1: Long Time, No see

Pokemon  
Then and Now  
  
By: Belldandy'sKeiichi  
  
Note: [any text in here is a thought text]  
  
Author's Time: God...It's been so long since I wrote a pokemon fic...well, ever since I re-watched season 1, I got re-inspired. I know what you're thinking, not another AAML right? Well, we'll see. People that read my stories know that I won't let that happen without some type of obstacle. So here you go!   
  
All out summary: Misty heads back home after receiving a phone call from Daisy. After a year of absence, she finally heads back to Pallet to re-unite with Ash and Brock. But only to see her worst fear coming to life when she gets there.  
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[It'll be so good to see everyone again...] Misty thought to herself as she walks towards Pallet town. A year ago, she, Ash, and Brock were in Goldenrod when Misty decided to phone her sisters back at Cerulean City. Although she was happy to she them, they weren't happy to she her. Daisy told her that something happened to Violet and at that instant; Misty decided to go see them back at Cerulean. Misty didn't want to leave them, but she had to see if Violet's alright. So she left, promising them to see each other in Pallet town a year from then.   
  
As Misty finally made to though the forest, she looked over the small city called Pallet town, hoping to see her friends again.  
  
Chapter 1: Long time, no see.  
  
Misty was in front of the Ketchum residents looking at the door. Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. "O my! Misty! Is that you!" Mrs. Ketchum asked in disbelieve. "O, it's good to see you again Mrs. Ketchum." Misty said to her, but was pulled into a hug. "It's been so long since you left here and when Ash came back and you weren't there; I thought something horrible has happen to you!" Misty, now in an awkward position, was being crushed. "Um...that's great to hear Mrs. Ketchum...do you know where Ash is?" Misty asked. She released her from her grasp and thought for awhile. "I believe he went out with Brock and...er, well, they were going to get something for me. They'll be back in a couple of minutes, but please, make yourself at home! I'll go get some tea." Mrs. Ketchum left the room and Misty sat on the couch. "Gee, I forgot how Ash's mom was so happy-peppy all the time..." Misty said to herself, looking around the room. As her wandering eyes looked around, she noticed a picture that was taken a long time ago. [Heh, I remembered this...we were so carefree back then... I look so cute back then with that side pony tail. I wonder how Ash and Brock would react now that I have long hair...] There stood Ash, Mrs. Ketchum, Brock, Mr. Mime, and herself in front of the house. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling.   
  
Mrs. Ketchum came back with tea and placed on the table. She also sat down and began to talk to her. "So Misty, where have you been all this time?" she questioned. "O, I've been back home at Cerulean...my sister was very ill and I went back to make sure she's ok..." Mrs. Ketchum took a sip of her tea. "I see...Hey, you let you hair down. It's so pretty." "O thanks Mrs. Ketchum, I wanted to let it grow out ...So let me ask you Mrs. Ketchum..." She tossed a glace at her. "Alright...shoot." "How's Ash? What did he do while I was gone?" Mrs. Ketchum took a couple to seconds to think it out. "Well?" "Well...after you left, he gave me a call telling me that you left and I guess after that, he continued his quest. He called me again a couple days later and told me that he met someone..." she said in a tone as if she was depressed. Misty looked at her with one eye brow up. "What do you mean, 'met someone'." Just then, the door swung open and Brock came in, carrying groceries. "Hey Mrs. Ketchum.....where do you want these..." he started but when he saw Misty, he dropped all of his bags. "Brock...you dropped the entire grocer...ahhhhh!" Ash started but then slipped on the produce, making him fall on his face. He got up and looked at Brock. "Brock! What's your problem?" Brock was speechless but he raised his finger and pointed at Misty. When Ash followed his finger, he was in shock. "M-M-Misty? I-Is it really you?!" Ash said, about to cry. Misty smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm back...like I promised..."   
  
There was dead silence. Ash looked at Misty and Misty stared back. They were both speechless. Misty then ran to Ash and gave him a hug. "Ash, it's so good to see you again..." she said to him. "Yeah...it's good to see you also Misty." They broke the hug and helped with the groceries. They met back at the living room when they were done. "Misty, it's been so long since you left, whatcha been up to since you left?" Ash asked. "Well, after tending for my sick sister, I guess I stayed in Cerulean and catch up with my sisters. Whatcha been up to since I left?" Misty asked. Ash shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well..." Just then, someone was knocking at the door. "I'll get that" Misty said as she got up and walked towards it. "Wait! Misty, I think I should..." Ash said getting up. "Don't be silly, I'll get it." She said, already there. She opened the door and saw a girl, about the same size as her, long red-orange hair, and brown eyes standing in front of her. "Um...hello, is Ash there?" she asked.  
  
Ash came to the door. "Hey, what's up?" he said to her. Misty took several steps back. [Who is this girl? How does she know Ash?] Ash looked back at Misty. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Um...yeah, I'm ok. But who's this Ash?" Misty wanted to know. Ash invited her in and she took a seat. Misty did the same and so did Ash. "Um...where to being..." Ash said to himself. "How about... 'Her name is...'." Misty hinted him. "O right...her name is Elli, we met couple of days after you went back home." Misty looked at her and offered her a hand shake. "I see, my name is Misty. It's nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you too, I'm Elli." They shook hands. But Misty was uncomfortable of the hand shake. "Umm...I'm going to get a drink...I'll be right back." Ash said, getting up. Elli also got up. "Let me help you Ash." She said, following him.  
  
Brock and Misty were left in the room. "You know Misty, it good to see you again, but in this situation...you seem pretty calm. By now you would have hit Ash with a mallet or some other foreign object." "Gee Brock, thanks." She said sarcastically. "But what's with this Elli girl?" Brock got up and sat down so they were looking at each other. "Elli joined us a week after you left..." "Ok, I got that info down, now what's her story." Brock took a deep breathe. "Well, you can say she saved his life..." "What?! She saved Ash's life?" "You can say that, but ever since, she followed us and helped us out. Don't think of it as her being your replacement but it just happened...you know?" Misty looked down. "Yeah, I know..." Mrs. Ketchum walked in. "Hey Misty, where are you saying tonight?" A sweat drop appeared on her forehead. "Well, I was wondering if I could stay here for awhile..." "Don't sweat it! You're always welcomed here! But you have to sleep here since Elli is also staying here..." Misty looked at her. "She's staying here also?"   
  
Night fell and everyone was in their respective rooms. Misty was lying in a pull out bed, looking at the ceiling. "What am I worried about... so what if Elli is staying over. I mean, I just to do the same thing when I was traveling with Ash. But...there is just something about her that makes me...feel weird." Misty said to herself. [Yeah, what am I worried about...it's not like she in love with him or anything...heh, in love with him...Ash doesn't even know the definition of romance...] she thought to herself, slowly falling asleep.  
  
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The next day, Brock was up and early. He was already making breakfast and he heading to wake Ash up. As he tried to open the door, it was locked. So he woke everyone else up. Everyone was downstairs eating breakfast. Misty was awake, eating breakfast as Brock went to go see if Ash was awake now. As he entered the living room, he saw Ash and Elli walk down the stairs together. "Heh, typical to keep you breakfast wait Ash. I see you and her had fun last night..." Brock teased them. "Hey! We didn't to anything!" "Ash is right, I couldn't to go sleep to I went to his room. All we did was play cards, that's it." Elli supported him. Brock had his arms crossed. "Uh huh...and that's why you guys are wearing each other's shirts?" Ash and Elli looked at their shirts and Brock was right, they were wearing each other's shirts. They started to take off their shirts and switched but Misty walked in so they instantly stopped. "Nice to see your awake Ash...now come down, your breakfast is getting cold." Misty went back to the kitchen and they let out a sigh. "That was close..." Ash said. "Heh, so when are you going to tell her?" Brock asked. "I'll tell her, don't worry." Ash told him, looking back at Elli.  
  
End of Chapter 1  
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How's that you guys?! Well, please review! I'll get the next chapter up when I see that people are actually reading my story. 


	2. Chapter 2: Elli Who?

Pokemon  
Then and Now  
  
By: Belldandy'sKeiichi  
  
Note: [any text in here is a thought text]  
  
Author's Time: Whoa...thxs for the reviews so far. Well, the first chapter got your attention didn't it? Here you guys go, the second chapter.  
  
Disclaimer Time: You know the drill, I don't own pokemon and I'll never will.  
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"Well, I'm going out..." Ash called out to them. They all looked at him. "Hey Ash, wait up!" Misty called rushing to him. "You don't mind company do you?" she asked. Ash looked at her. "Well...I guess not..." Elli got up but Brock held her down with his hand. So Misty and Ash walked off. Elli, now confused, wanted to know why he kept her here and all he said was, "They need to catch up with each other."  
  
Chapter 2: Elli Who?  
  
[Finally alone...now I can get the scoop on this girl...] Misty thought to herself and they walk around Pallet. "Hey Ash..." Misty started. Ash turned to her. "Yeah Misty?" "You know, you never told me how you met Elli." This sent chills down Ash's spine. "Er...um...well..." Misty glared at him. "Come on, fess up!" she barked at him. Ash backed up. "Alright, alright, chill will you." Ash said to her, taking a seat on the nearest bench. Misty sat next to him and Ash took a deep breath. "Well, it all started...one week after you left..." he started.  
  
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Ash and Brock were both walking towards the next gym. It was a sunny day, the sky was clear, the pidgey were flying over head, and yet...Ash looks down. Brock noticed this at once. "Hey Ash, you alright?" he asked him. Caught off guard, Ash jolted up and looked at him. "Huh? I'm alright. Why do you ask?" "Well, you seem down, wanna talk about it?" Ash looked down on the road. "Um...its ok, I was just thinking." Brock looked at him curiously. "Like what?" "Well, it's about Misty..." Brock raised an eye brow. "What about her?" "Well, ever since she left, I kept feeling...empty. Like, something is missing..." Ash said to him. "Well, maybe you miss her..." "What?" Ash shot back at him. "What do you mean miss her? Sure, yeah, I miss her and all, but why would I miss someone that yells at me, calls me names, and bothers me every time I'm in a pokemon battle?" Brock shook his head. "Typical Ash to be confused. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough." Ash looked at him. "What? What don't I get?" "Just drop it Ash..."   
  
Soon enough, they finally made it in town and instantly, Pikachu noticed something. "Pi pi pi. Pikachu!" "Huh? What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked. They both looked and there was a crowd around a store. So they went to go investigate.  
  
"Everyone back up please. We need room!" Officer Jenny called at them. "Officer Jenny..." Brock said, off in la la land. Ash ignored him and turned to the nearest guy. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked. "Someone broke into this store yesterday." He told Ash. "What did they steal?" "They didn't steal anything important young man..." Officer Jenny interrupted. "Do you know who did this?" she asked him. "Um...no officer! But what exactly did they steal?" Ash wanted to know. "Well, all they stole was a vacuum and some herbs..." Ash scratched his head. [Odd, why would someone steal a vacuum and some herbs...could it have been Team Rocket?] Ash thought to himself. "O well, come on Brock, let's go!" He called, but saw, yet again, him being shot down my Jenny. "Ash..." "Yes Brock..." "Let's go..." "Er...yes Brock..."  
  
They stopped at the nearest Pokemon Center and got their pokemon healed. As they were heading out, a shadow came over the town. They looked up and a familiar air balloon was blocking the sun. "O no...Not them again..." Ash said to himself. "It's Team Rocket!" Brock yelled. Jessie and James appeared, laughing at them. "Prepare for trouble!" "And make it double!" "To protect the world from devastation!" "To unite all peoples within out nation!" " To denounce the evils of truth and love!" "To extend our reach to the stars above!" "Jessie!" "James!" "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" "Meowth! That's Right!" They looked down at their spectators. "Huh? It's the twerp...why does their group look smaller?" Jessie asked herself. "It's doesn't matter! What matters is getting that Pikachu!" Meowth told them.   
  
From the ground, Ash was looking up at the Meowth blimp. "Face it Team Rocket! You'll never get Pikachu!" Ash called to them. "That's were you're wrong kid!" Meowth said. "We got a brilliant plan to steal him this time!" "Er...with those three, I'll be surprised if it was decent..." Ash said. "I'm surprised that they used the word 'brilliant' in a sentence..." Brock added. Team Rocket fell over. "Grr...Enough small talk! James! Deploy our new weapon!" Jessie ordered him. "Deploying..." Just then, from the bottom of their blimp, a giant hose came out. "Engage the vacuum! Put it on reverse suck!" "Engaging...." Soon, there was a gust of wind coming out of the hose. "Team Rocket were the ones that broke into that store..." Brock told him, trying to keep his balance. But it was no use; they were blown off their feet. "Alright, now put in the powder that we made from those herbs James..." "Here we go..." he said, pouring a yellowish powder into the vacuum and the vacuum shooting out the yellow powder. Before they could react, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu were covered in the powder. "What is this stuff!" Ash yelled at them. "Ash!" Brock called. He turned around and saw Brock struggling to move. "Ash...I...I can't move!" Brock told him. "It must be some kind of stun spore!" "Huh?" Ash said questionably. "Hey! I can't move either!" "Pi...Pikachu..." Pikachu said, also affected by the stun spore.   
  
Ash, Brock, and Pikachu were all struggling to move their bodies at Team Rocket descended and landed in front of them. "Wow Jessie, our plan is actually working for once!" "Don't jinx it James, now Pikachu..." Jessie started, taking out a shock-resistant glass container. "You belong to us..." she said, putting Pikachu in. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "Let's go. Wait 'til the boss sees this!" Meowth said, happily. They got into their balloon and started to float off. "Pikachu! I'm coming!" he said, getting up. "I'm not going...to let you...get stolen...." He yelled, fighting off the stun spore. But every step he took, it brought pain to him. With the amount of strength left, he was able to jump and grabbed hold of the hose. "He's climbing up! How could he fight that stun spore!" James said, amazed. Ash continued to scale the hose, every second hurting him. Meowth jumped on the ledge of their blimp. "I have to say, that's pretty amazing how you're fighting off that stun spore..." Meowth said, looking down at the injured Ash. "...But it's hurting you from within...why don't you just give up!" "Never!" Ash yelled at him. Right now, there were high in the sky, above all the buildings. "Well, I guess we have no choice...bye-bye twerp!" Meowth told him, pressing a button that detached the hose from the blimp.   
  
Ash was falling, and was falling fast. He was worn out because he was trying to move while paralyzed. As he was heading to the ground at a phenomenal speed, he started to think that this was it...until...  
  
"Fearow!" A Fearow called at it caught Ash on its back. Ash looked around, confused. "Huh? What happened? Where did this Fearow come from?" He said to himself. Fearow flew down to the ground next to a girl. She helped him off Fearow, whispered something to its ear and it took off again. This time it was heading right for the Meowth blimp. "Um...you guys?" "What is it Meowth! Can't you see we are celebrating?!" "But you guys...Fearow! Dead ahead!" Jessie and James looked up and saw that a fearow was in fact, coming right at them. They started to scream as Fearow flew right through their balloon, making the whole blimp fall straight down. Pikachu's container fell out of their hands and was caught in between the beak of Fearow. "Looks like Team Rocket is falling down again!" They yelled, hitting the ground. Fearow flew back down and gave the container to its trainer. She returned it back to its poke ball and released another pokemon. This time, it was a Vileplume. "Vileplume...you know what to do." She said, taking out a test tube. Vileplume pedals started to shake and suddenly, a yellow liquid ran down from its pedals. She collected it and she poured it in Brock's, Ash's, and Pikachu's mouths. After a couple of seconds, there were cure of their paralyses and they started to move again. "Thank you so much." Brock said. "Yes, thank you for saving my life and returning Pikachu...um, who are you anyways?" Ash said. The girl looked at Ash. "I'm sorry, my name is Elli. Nice to meet you!"  
  
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"That's it...that's how we met..." Ash said, finishing off the story. "So she went with you guys ever since?" Misty asked and he nodded his head. Ash got up. "Well, I need to go back home. Make sure you're home by dinner..." He said running off. "So that's her story...I still feel un-easy about her though...something's not right..." Misty said to herself.  
  
Back at the house...  
  
"I know you and Ash are...well, friends and all, but you shouldn't have done what you did..." Brock said to Elli. "Brock...I don't know what you're talking about..." "Don't play dumb with me...the story was suspicious, the shirts, what else proof do you need." Elli told a sip of her tea. "God Brock...you're never this uptight...it's like you think I slept with Ash..." she said, looking back at him. Brock said nothing. "O my god, you think me and Ash...ha! What a laugh..." "But where you during the night!" Brock shot at her. "You weren't in your room when I went to wake everyone up." Elli took another sip of her tea. "I told you, I couldn't go to sleep, so I went to Ash's room and we played cards." Brock scratched his head. "But then how did you guys have each other's shirts?" Elli scratched her head. "Er...you can say...illegal betting..." Brock relaxed in the chair. "Well, I guess I can relax now..." "But man...how can you think like that Brock! Me? Sleep with Ash..." Brock looked at her. "Well, after all, you are his..." Just then, the door opened and Ash walked in. "O hey you guys...is dinner ready?" "Almost honey!" Mrs. Ketchum called from the kitchen.  
  
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It was the middle of the night, again, everyone in their respective rooms and yet again...Misty couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, closed her eyes but it was no good. [God, what's wrong with me...ever since she showed up...I can't get to sleep. Every time I see her, I can't help but to feel...jealous...but why? Is it because she has longer hair than me? Is it because she's prettier than me? Is it because she looks younger? Or is it...that she's....might be....after Ash...the person I love...] she quietly thought to herself.  
  
Ash was also having trouble falling asleep, and wouldn't you know it...so was someone else...  
  
There was a knock at Ash's door. Slowly, he got up and walked over and opened the door. Standing on the other side was Elli in her PJs. "Let me guess, you couldn't fall asleep..." Ash said to her. "Yeah, another restless night...you don't mind do you?" "Not at all...I, myself couldn't get to sleep also..." Elli walked in and he slowly closed the door. Ash took out a deck of cards. "Up for a little late night game?" Ash offered. "Sure...just let me get a drink first..." Elli opened the door and walked towards the kitchen. Misty, still awake, heard someone coming downstairs. So she faked being asleep and saw who it was. Misty saw that is was Elli, getting warm milk and then returning back upstairs. [That's odd, what is she doing up so late...maybe she's having problems falling asleep like me...] she thought, slowly getting up. [I know I shouldn't be doing this but...] Misty thought to herself, quietly following her. Misty looked over the corner and saw that she went into Ash's room. [That's Ash's room...why is she in Ash's room...]   
  
Elli and Ash were at it again, gambling random stuff that they owned. "Ha! I won again Elli, looks like you own me your pillow!" "One more game Ash! I swear I'll win it all back!" Misty peeked into the room. "You don't have anything to bet Elli, just give up. I win!" "One more gamble...I know I can win...poker isn't my game, but I know I can beat you. If I win, I get all my stuff back." She said to him. "Alright...if you win, I'll return your stuff...but if you lose..." Ash started. Misty listen in carefully, gripping the door harder. "...if you lose, you have to go on a date with me!" "Deal!"   
  
Misty released her grasp on the door and took a couple of steps back. [What...Ash, asking out Elli...but...what does this mean...Is it just for fun...] she thought, looking back at them. They were in mid-game, looking at their hands. [Or did Ash really mean it...] she thought as her heart raced.  
  
End of Chapter 2  
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Whew! Done! This one is pretty long. O, just for your information, it will take me a week at lease to type this stuff up because of school and projects and...well, you get it right? Well, keep reviewing. Later! 


	3. Chapter 3: Misty spills the Beans

Pokemon  
Then and Now  
  
By: Belldandy'sKeiichi  
  
Note: [any text in here is a thought text]  
  
Author's Time: Nothing much this time...just keep on reviewing... I love reviews!  
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Misty tossed and turn and suddenly awoke in an instant. "What happen...where am I?" She asked herself looking around. As she looked around, she noticed several items that were familiar to her. She was in Ash's room...but how? As Misty tried to put two and two together, Ash walked in.   
  
"I see that you're awake Misty." He said to her. "Ash. Why am I in your room? What happen?" "Don't look at me. You were probably sleep walking or something, but you were outside my door asleep. You know Mist, you have horrible sleeping habits..." Just then, a pillow was flung at Ash's head. "What did you say?!" "Er...nothing Misty!" Misty raised another pillow over her head but lowered it. [That's right...I remember that I was outside his door...] "Well, breakfast is ready, come down when you want..." Ash said to her, leaving his room. Misty just sat there thinking when it hit her. "Ack! The card game! I have to find out who won!" She panicked, looking for the cards they used. She spotted a pile of card lying on the ground and rushed to it. [Let's see, judging by the way the cards are placed...Elli's cards should be facing towards me...] Misty thought to herself examining the cards. As she continued to study the cards, it finally hit her. She sat down and picked up five cards. "O my god..." She said to herself.  
  
Chapter 3: Misty spills the beans  
  
Misty sat at the dinner table with a blank face, stirring her cereal with her spoon. Everyone looked at her, with a sweat drop on their heads. "Er...Misty? You ok?" Brock asked. "Huh? O...yeah, I'm fine..." she said in a straight tone. "Are you sure? You seem, sick...you need to go see a doctor or something?" "No...It's ok..." Misty got up. "Thank you for breakfast..." she said, walking to the living room. "I'm worried about her..." Mrs. Ketchum said. "I know what you mean..." Brock supported her. "She has been acting weird...I wonder what happened..." Ash said to them.   
  
Misty sat alone in the living room, looking at a blank T.V. screen. [That card game...Elli lost...she lost to a pair of threes. But still, that means...] "Hey Ash, you ready yet?" Elli called from downstairs. "Don't worry, I'll be there." Elli turned around and saw Misty. "Misty! Hey! What's up?" she said to her. Misty's first reaction was to jump up and strangle her, yelling at her on how she lost to a pair of threes, but then again... "Um...hi Elli. I'm fine. You?" Elli sat down. "I'm fine. Me and Ash are going out for awhile." Misty cringed. "You know, I don't know you very well, maybe we should get together and learn about each other one day." Misty smiled at her with a sweat droplet on her head, reframing to do anything drastic. "Yeah..." she lied. "That would be great..." Ash came downstairs. "Hey Elli, I'm ready." "O good, come on! Let's go." Ash looked over at Misty. "Hey Misty, wanna come? You don't mind do you Elli?" Ash offered. "Um...no, that's ok. You two go have fun now..." she shot back to him. "O...Ok, let's go..." Ash said as they walked outside. Misty sat there for a couple of minutes and the she got up. Brock walked in a noticed. "You're going out also?" "Yeah..." "Alright...don't be late for dinner. I'm making my special." Misty took her coat and walked outside.   
  
"Ash?" Elli said. "Yeah?" "I have his weird feeling that Misty doesn't like me..." Elli and Ash were walking along the side wall of Pallet. "Why do you say that?" Ash asked. "Well, I don't know. But I've been seeing her...well, irritated somehow." Elli told him. "Irritated? By what?" Elli looked away from him. "I think she's irritated because of me..." "No way...I know when she's irritated, believe me, but it seems like something is troubling her." They walked quietly along. "Ash...can I ask you something?" "Er...if it's about the stuff I gambled off you, I swear I returned them to you..." Elli giggled. "Not that, but something else...It's about Misty, do you love her?" This made Ash stop. Elli looked at him. "Do you?" "Well...to tell you the truth. I did..." Elli raised an eye brow. "What happened between you two?" "Nothing happened...it's just that, when she left...well, you know, out of sight...out of mind I guess. I did like her, a lot. But I was afraid to tell her. When she left, I felt lonely; I wanted to forget about her...that's when you came along." "From there I can pick it up...but what about now? Do you still love her?" Ash took a couple of seconds to think. "I...I don't know. Ever since she came back, I've been thinking about it a lot." Elli smiled at him. "I see...well, shall we move on?" Elli asked, putting her arms around one of his arms. "Yeah, after all, I did win."   
  
Elli and Ash were at an ice cream shop and looking from afar was Misty. "Look at them..." She said to herself. Elli and Ash were talking and suddenly started laughing. "God...looking at them makes me sick..." Misty said, taking another bite of her ice cream. "Misty? Is that you?" A voice said behind her. Misty jumped up. "Um...NO! I wasn't spying on them!" She instantly said, unaware of who it was. "Er...alright..." the person said. Misty looked up. "O...it's just you Gary..." she said, sitting back down. "What are you doing here? I heard from Ash that you left him. What happened? Ash was mean to you? I'll get him! He shouldn't treat women like that. Why I ...." "Shut up Gary! I'm trying to listen in!" She barked at him looking back at them. Gary also watched. "Hey, who's the girl? Is that Ash's girlfriend?" Misty nails him with her mallet. "Quiet!" Misty said, looking back. Gary slowly got back to his feet. "Geez, testy aren't we?" Again, Ash and Elli were talking and they both laughed. "Looks like they are having a great time." Misty said, getting up. "Looks like it...but hey, if you want a good time, I could show you around." Gary offered. Misty turned to him. "Gary...grow up..." she said to him, walking off.  
  
Misty returned home and laid down on the couch. She was thinking of all the times that Elli and Ash talked together, ate, laughed. [Ash...Why didn't you do something like that for me? Sure, we were a little arrogant back then, but I would have accepted. It would have been ok. It could have just been a friendly date...just hanging out. But...you didn't. I didn't. And...that smile...] She said, playing back the scene where they were laughing. [That smile...I never saw Ash smile like that...ever. Of all the times I've been around him, I never saw him smile like that to me or anything else, not even Pikachu...] Just then, Ash and Elli walked back in. As they were heading towards the kitchen, Elli stopped suddenly. "What's wrong?" Ash asked. "It's nothing...I just want to talk to Misty for awhile." Misty sat up. "Huh? You want to talk to me?" "Sure! Why not? Get some time to know each other." "Ok..." Ash said, walking into the kitchen. Elli looked at Misty. "Hey, wanna go outside so that no one will hear us?" Elli said. Misty looked at her confused. "Um...sure..."  
  
The sun was still out as Misty and Elli walked. "So Misty, your from Cerulean City...that a great town. Isn't it the home of the 3 sensational sisters?" Elli asked. Misty looked down to the ground. "The sensational sisters are my sisters..." Elli looked at her surprised. "You're a sensational sister?" "Well, technically, yeah, but no. I left home, hoping to be a great water pokemon master." Elli smiled. "That's nice... my dream was to go around the world one day, seeing different towns..." "Ah...I always want to see the world to..." They both agreed. "Misty, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." "What is it?" "Um...I've notice that every time I'm around Ash, you always shift uncomfortably or you twitch or something...I just want to know...Is my presents around Ash, bothering you?" [YES! GO AWAY!] She screamed in her head. "Of course not Elli." She lied to her. "Well, I want to know...do you love Ash?" Misty was taken back by the question. "Um...why do you ask?" she said hesitantly. "Well, it will answer a lot of questions like why you're always fidgety when I'm around Ash or when you look nervous when you're around him yourself." "Well...." Elli looked at her. "Come on Misty, you can tell me. I never let anyone down, no matter what." Misty thought about it for awhile. "Tell me Misty...do you sometimes dream about him? You, in Ash's warm embrace, drinking hot chocolate while sitting out on an open fire. Ash, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Ash, telling you that he loves you." This drove Misty nuts because she was right. Everything she said was true. Elli continued. "Ash, protecting you from all harm. Ash..." "Alright! Alright! Stop it!" Misty suddenly blurted out. "Yes! I do! I love him! I love him so much! I missed him ever since I left him a year ago and I still love him more than ever! I want to grow up with him and have a family! I want to sail the oceans with him, fly above the skies with him, and travel to the end of the world! I LOVE ASH!!" Misty screamed. Elli looked at her as she calmed down. "Wow...I didn't know..." Misty looked at her. "Please! Please don't tell Ash! Don't tell him a word!" "Don't worry about it Misty. I promise that I won't tell him. You have my word. But we should be heading back, Mrs. Ketchum is probably making dinner now."  
  
They both were walking back. [O wow, Misty still love Ash...and Ash doesn't even know...boy he's dense...but now that I know...maybe I shouldn't have done what I did back at the ice cream shop...] Elli thought to herself. "Something bothering you Elli?" Misty asked. "Huh? O, it's nothing..."   
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
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Uh oh...what does this mean? What did they do while Misty was away? Stay tune for another, exciting episode of, "Then and Now!" 


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